MBA Student Profile: Ioana Florina Pasulescu, IE

Romanian Ioana Florina Pasulescu chose to study for her MBA at IE Business School. She tells TopMBA.com what motivated her to take the plunge. 

Why did you decide to attend your Business School?

I looked for an MBA with an international perspective and that was based in Europe. My research focused mainly on top European business schools that promoted a competitive environment, but where the students knew how to enjoy life. Based on the opinions of the alumni from my university in Bucharest, Instituto de Empresa, or IE Business School in Madrid, Spain seemed to be the right choice.

What research did you undertake in selecting your school?

My primary research was mainly talking to people I know that had undertaken an MBA abroad, just to get their personal impressions and their recommendations on the subject. Then secondly I looked at the structure, lengths and scholarship options of the MBA programs offered by some of the top European business schools.

The International MBA at Instituto de Empresa has an excellent reputation, it provides the international exposure I was looking for and it also offers comprehensive scholarship options, which played an important role in my decision. I also liked the fact that the program was 15 months long with the possibility of doing an internship during the summer period.

I didn't consider an Executive MBA, mainly due to my lack of experience at the managerial level. I thought that at this point in my career it was too early to pursue an Executive MBA program.

What are the benefits of studying outside your home country?

Firstly, in my opinion there aren't any good quality MBA programs in Romania, with most of them still being focused on the theoretical and not so much practical side of doing business. Secondly, there's the international environment factor, which is a great plus point derived form studying abroad. I believe one learns most from one's colleagues and having people from all over the world from different backgrounds is definitely a big advantage of studying at Instituto de Empresa.

Did you apply for any scholarships?

I applied for two scholarships: Dr Laszlo Kapolyi Memorial Fellowship scholarship and the scholarship offered by the Spanish Foreign Ministry (AECI). Fortunately I was successful in obtaining the former one, which allowed me to come and study at Instituto de Empresa.

What were you doing before your MBA?

Before enrolling on my MBA, I was working at the Chamber of Commerce of Switzerland in Bucharest, Romania. I was responsible for public relations, which included activities such as organising seminars and ensuring the participation of Romanian companies at international fairs under the SIPPO (Swiss Import Promotion Programme).

As for my future plans, after I graduate from my MBA I am interested in joining the sports or media industry. I have a particular interest in sports and I consider this industry particularly attractive at the moment.